


A Long-Awaited Peace

by remythasavage



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Gay robot meditation, M/M, Nature, Rockman X7 | Mega Man X7, X is sad boi, could be platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 10:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30037467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remythasavage/pseuds/remythasavage
Summary: After returning to the front lines, X feels more lost than ever. Luckily Zero is there to help him find his way.Gift fic for meganauraZX
Relationships: X & Zero, X/Zero (Rockman)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	A Long-Awaited Peace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeganauraZX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganauraZX/gifts).



> Welcome to my contribution to the Gay Robot Meditation compendium!! I am now part of the grand council of GRM. Fear me, mortal.
> 
> Written a few weeks ago when we were all going through some tough times. But much like our favorite robot boys, we pulled through mostly intact. <3

X took a moment to finally catch his breath, his systems screaming for proper ventilation. Their mission was located in a rather temperate area, but after the constant running and fighting it felt like everything was burning up around them. The blue hunter hunched over slightly, a hand on his chest. 

“We...should...be far enough away. And we got the chips…” X finally said, opening his other hand to reveal the hard-fought upgrade chips. He hated using them, but it was their mission to collect them, and now that X was a proper maverick hunter again he had to follow orders.

“I forgot how much easier things are when it’s you I’m working with.” Zero said after a moment, still gasping between words as he clapped X on the back. X silently looked away. Normally any compliment from Zero was enough to make him giddy, but now everything just left him feeling empty. It caused a deep worry to shake him to the core. What if he could never get back to how things were before? Did he even want things back to the way they were? Isn’t that why he retired from the front lines in the first place, because he was tired of being stuck in the same vicious cycles? 

“X? You alright?” Zero’s voice managed to pull him from his worry spiral, and he looked back at his partner, a weary frown etched into his features. Zero’s expression copied his own, “It’s your first mission since you came back, you’re not gonna be in top shape, buddy.”

Now that his systems were back down to a normal temperature, X became aware of the cool breeze blowing at his back. He could hear the sound of waves...but none of the scents of salt and brine, they must have found a lake. Zero sighed, knowing that X either wasn’t willing, or able, to answer him.

“Hey, we’re done with the mission, why don’t we relax a bit?” 

The hunter shook his head in disbelief, “We...we can’t relax. There’s so much to still be done, I have so much catching up to do.” X said with a strangled voice, “I don’t deserve to rest until I’ve made up for my mistakes.”

“No, we’re not doing that.” Zero replied quickly, his voice was firm, but if softened as he continued, “We told you, X, we know you needed to take a step back, and that’s fine. I know I wasn’t happy with your decision before, but I respect it now.”

The Blue Bomber didn’t respond, keeping his eyes to the ground in shame. Zero genuinely wondered if X had heard a word he just said. He was so caught up in his self-pity that he probably hadn’t. Zero found himself sighing for the umpteenth time this mission. He had to admit that X’s combat skills hadn’t deteriorated one bit during his retirement, he had joined Zero and jumped back into the fray as if he hadn’t missed a day. His fighting spirit, on the other hand, still appeared to be gone and was showing no signs of coming back.

“...let’s just get these stupid chips back to Alia.” X finally said bitterly, clenching them in a shaking fist.

Zero grabbed at his wrist, wrenching his arm up to his face to force X to finally look at him, 

“We’re not going anywhere with your attitude like this.”

“Zero!”

“Give me the chips, and we’re going to relax…” the Red Ripper suddenly straightened, “Actually, we’re going to meditate. Right here.”

“M-meditate?” X blinked in surprise. He had all but dropped the practice after tapping out. And since he had no longer been a maverick hunter he barely saw Zero, so he had no clue whether he continued their shared hobby or not.

“Yep. This is a perfect spot. It’s quiet, we’re alone, we got time.” Zero took his arm and led him down the winding path toward the lake. Their mission had taken place deep in the woods, in a hidden maverick base, but they had run so far out that they were no longer anywhere near the same area. It was now just an innocent forest, where it ended at the cliffs overlooking the large lake. 

Zero pushed some branches aside, the mechanized trees allowed them to bend but not break. X blindly followed Zero, letting himself be led by the hand closer to the cliffs. He felt so lost that even the physical action of being taken somewhere felt comforting. The trees thinned out until there were only a few scattered along the edge, some having long since fallen over, their massive roots still clung to the cliffside. The breeze was stronger here, a fresh and cool air being carried up by the waves. It was a good twenty feet down from the cliffs, but the sound of the waves were amplified like an echo chamber. X let himself stare out at the horizon. When was the last time he had been able to do something like this…? 

Zero kept a firm grip on his hand, pulling him to his side. X made no move to separate from him, enjoying the warm contact in between the cool breezes. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, enjoying the view of the sky and the water blending into blues and grays on the horizon. Every now and then a stray bird would fly down into the lake, bobbing in the huge body of water and looking so small, but it would rise up and get back into the air each time, making it look like no struggle at all. A thick layer of clouds over the lake kept the sun from shining brightly, casting everything in a muted daylight. 

Zero suddenly sat down, taking X with him, both of them settling into the dirt. He turned to the blue hunter with a faint smile on his face,

“You remember how this works, or you need a refresher?”

It had been a long time, but X could never forget his practices that were such a deep part of him. He just shook his head. There was a tall tree sitting over them, dabbling a faint pattern of light and shadows over Zero. He finally released X’s hand and turned his back to him. X understood and copied his position so they were sitting with their backs against each other’s. Some of Zero’s hair fell over X’s shoulders as it was carried by the wind. It made him more aware of the solid presence behind him, and it gave him silent encouragement. X looked down at his lap, he was covered in dings and dirt from their fight, but he was in one piece. He placed his hands on his knees, falling into the old position easily. He felt Zero’s head tilt back a bit as he took in a deep breath. 

X was suddenly overcome with worry. Did he really remember how to do this? He had lost his way with everything else, why would this be any different?

A stronger breeze suddenly came off the lake, rustling the leaves overhead and filling his audio receptors with the whisper of wind between the trees. He could start with that, with just listening to the world around him. He let his eyes fall closed, registering nothing but the crashing of the waves, the breeze only lightly moving everything around, the sound of a few birds calling between the trees and over the water. It was slowly coming back to him, almost like instinct he allowed it to take over his processors. He felt himself take a deep breath before he even realized what he was doing, letting his mechanical lungs fill with the cleansing air. He tried to let his worries move in like the waves, one by one, and he let them exist, coming over him with no resistance. 

He was worried. He was guilty. He was tired. He was lost. But he had to have been guided by something to feel the need to fight again. He hated the fighting, he dreaded it. But he knew it needed to be done. The weak had to be defended. The Earth had to be defended. The solid dirt underneath him that cascaded into sandy dunes to the all consuming water. The trees that sheltered them with their innumerable rustling leaves. The clouds and the sunlight that mixed into the limitless sky. He couldn’t let them be destroyed, gone forever with no living creatures to bask in this like he was now. 

He became aware of another feeling, of the warmth on his back, the light tickle of golden hair against his face and arms. The slow pattern of rising and falling in time with his own breaths. The presence fit itself comfortably within the rest of the sensations around X. It felt strong, but gentle at the same time. It anchored him to the ground to keep him from floating away with the breeze, but he liked it. It was secure, it was familiar. It had been lost to him before, but it was here now. Things could be lost...but they could come back, couldn’t they? Like the leaves that would be shed in the fall, only to blossom forth again in the spring with flowers and new buds, more beautiful than when they left. 

A particularly loud wave crashed onto the shore below, X imagined it was washing away his old troubles. Cleansing him, refreshing him, and the wind carrying it all away effortlessly. He could come back to himself, he knew he could. He didn’t have to know all of the answers immediately. They would come gradually, much like his understandings were right now, they would clear a path for him to follow. And he would do his best to do the right thing. And when he felt lost, he could fall against the strength at his back, supporting him through anything. Everything felt clearer to the android now. The constant noise and chaos of his regular life had fallen away, allowing X to truly see himself for the first time in a long time. He loved this planet, he loved those that lived within it, and he loved his other half leaning against him. He would fight for them all, so that some day they could come back to this whenever they wanted. 

X opened his eyes, his optics blurred from being unfocused. The rest of his senses came back to him slowly. Reality fell back in: the mavericks, the 7th war, the fighting. But X felt stronger than he had going into the beginning of the mission. He let out a deep sigh, and let himself lean further back into Zero. 

“You there?” his deep voice rumbled against X’s back. 

“Yeah.” but he made no move to get up, “You’re right. This is relaxing.”

“Have I ever been wrong?” Zero chuckled. They leaned against each other for a bit longer, staring out into the horizon, enjoying only one another’s presence on the quiet cliffs, made peaceful once again in more ways than one.

**Author's Note:**

> The setting for this is actually based on one of my favorite places off of Lake Michigan! Thanks for reading.


End file.
